Anyone ever get scam calls/scam artist calls?
- Thread starter maytag85
- Start date
Help Support :
Sorry Sean, even though I am 46 years older than you to the day, these scam calls have been going on for many years. Nothing new about spoofed phone numbers. Usually its a new Rachael wanting your credit card numbers to lower your interest rate or IRS with a warrant. I only answer calls from numbers I know as Caller ID is mostly worthless now, otherwise it goes to my answering machine and deleted.
No-Mo-Robo works wonders...
Not on a landline phone.
I don't have a landline so that isn't a problem. As far as my cell goes, I only answer calls that are listed in my directory that I have stored. If I know I'm going to be speaking with you on the phone I make it a point to make sure your number is part of the directory.
I don't answer any calls that I don't recognize especially if it's from an unidentified number. If the call is important enough and that person is trying to reach me they will leave a message for me to call them back. I've never had a problem with getting spam messages in my voice mail.
I don't answer any calls that I don't recognize especially if it's from an unidentified number. If the call is important enough and that person is trying to reach me they will leave a message for me to call them back. I've never had a problem with getting spam messages in my voice mail.
Home phone I don't answer I let it go to the answering machine. Now my cell phone is a different matter. I am going through a lot of medical testing and procedures at present, so I am getting many calls from doctors offices and labs. So at this point I have to answer all calls because I have no idea whose number is calling. Many times they are legitimate calls coming in so I don't want to miss them, but then there are quite a few that are not legit and then I just hand up.
Jon
Jon
Heard often at my Computer Clinic church fundraiser:
"Someone called and said they were from Microsoft* so I did what they told me to do. They found a bunch of stuff wrong and want $200.00 to fix it and I keep getting a pop-up with their phone number."
There's no gentle way to tell them the only real solution is a clean installation of the operating system.
*or McAfee, Norton, etc.
"Someone called and said they were from Microsoft* so I did what they told me to do. They found a bunch of stuff wrong and want $200.00 to fix it and I keep getting a pop-up with their phone number."
There's no gentle way to tell them the only real solution is a clean installation of the operating system.
*or McAfee, Norton, etc.
iheartmaytag
Well-known member
For android phones
You can get an app called call control. I love it, it looks through a database of calls, and blocks reported calls.
Unfortunately I have Cox for home phone, and they won't allow third party software.
You can get an app called call control. I love it, it looks through a database of calls, and blocks reported calls.
Unfortunately I have Cox for home phone, and they won't allow third party software.
laundromat
Well-known member
What I do when the scanners call is give them a special phone number to call. It's the local police department. They don't call back.
laundromat
Well-known member
What I do when the scammers call is give them a special phone number to call. It's the local police department. They don't call back.
vacerator
Well-known member
Sure, and I don't answer
unless the caller I.D. is a person or a number I know is legit.
Scammers can use any name or number today. They try selling you things from computer protection to insurance, to saying the IRS is going to prosecute you.
Just hang up, or tell them you're an FBI agent.
I mean come on, Microsoft is not in area code 416. That's Toronto.
unless the caller I.D. is a person or a number I know is legit.
Scammers can use any name or number today. They try selling you things from computer protection to insurance, to saying the IRS is going to prosecute you.
Just hang up, or tell them you're an FBI agent.
I mean come on, Microsoft is not in area code 416. That's Toronto.
I've gotten to the point that I WILL NOT answer any call from a number I don't recognize. I have No-Mo-Robo set up for my home phone (Vonage) and it works really well!
I've noticed a much higher volume of "spam" calls coming in on my cell phone the last 6-10 months or so, but again I don't answer ANY number I don't recognize and send it directly to voicemail. Quite a few of them have the same area code and prefix as my number. Quite often I will see the number on my cell phone, I send it to voicemail and block the number. I will then dial that number from my office phone (which is often blocked). It rings and I get "boop-boop-beep... the number you dialed is not in service...."
IF the caller leaves a message, I know it's a real call and will unblock the number after listening to the message.
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">The latest scam</span>: In the last week or so I've been getting spam text messages (1 to 3 per day) from a number that looks like my service provider, a 5 digit number like "986-57". The messages have been something like "Hi Jaime, I have this great job for you, if you're interested click here: (some BS web link), test STOP if you're not interested".... or variations of that. I simply BLOCK that number and delete the message. If you click the link, who knows what sort of virus may upload into your phone. IF I click "stop" I'm SURE it will start a barrage of new spam messages being sent. So a word to the wise: do nothing other than delete the message.
twintubdexter
Well-known member
hate those scam/spoofed number calls
I have something on my landline called "Peace & Quiet" which takes care of almost all unwanted calls. Blocking specific numbers is very easy too as is accepting calls only from specific ones. As far as the cell, I pretty much never use it unless I need it to Bluetooth Pandora to the car radio. Fortunately the cell only costs me about $16 every 3 months and I've accumulated more talk and data time than I could ever use. It keeps growing every month. I'm an "old-school non-cell-in-my-face" person. I don't need anyone calling me while my head's stuck in the freezer at the supermarket interrupting the close relationship I have with Haggen Dazs.
I have something on my landline called "Peace & Quiet" which takes care of almost all unwanted calls. Blocking specific numbers is very easy too as is accepting calls only from specific ones. As far as the cell, I pretty much never use it unless I need it to Bluetooth Pandora to the car radio. Fortunately the cell only costs me about $16 every 3 months and I've accumulated more talk and data time than I could ever use. It keeps growing every month. I'm an "old-school non-cell-in-my-face" person. I don't need anyone calling me while my head's stuck in the freezer at the supermarket interrupting the close relationship I have with Haggen Dazs.
I have to see a NAME or even PLACE that I recognize or am expecting a call from before I answer--often these numbers beginning with EIGHT in the Area-Code, just to name ONE, really gives it away that I don't want to, have to or need to answer--and is there even a way to disconnect a NEW phone as you would back the you had rotary-dial or whatever touch-tone, in-between? I think I miss the luxury of taking the phone off the hook, or disconnecting the receiver from the unit, to eliminate annoying & distracting calls; those were the days...
-- Dave
-- Dave
fan-of-fans
Well-known member
Yes they call the home phone often, usually showing a spoofed city. I never get them on my cell although often it's turned off.
Whsn they called at home and I happened to answer I would blow in the phone. This once resulted in a barrage of return calls with them blowing back at me, until I left the phone off the hook for a while.
Sometimes before I heard of long distance charges associted with these calls I would call the numbers. Usually it resulted in the number not in service message but once it was a real person upset that I called them.
Whsn they called at home and I happened to answer I would blow in the phone. This once resulted in a barrage of return calls with them blowing back at me, until I left the phone off the hook for a while.
Sometimes before I heard of long distance charges associted with these calls I would call the numbers. Usually it resulted in the number not in service message but once it was a real person upset that I called them.
fan-of-fans
This is how you bait with a scam artist!
This is how you bait with a scam artist!
speedqueen
Well-known member
Somebody created a program to send hundreds of prerecorded calls to one of those Indian scam call centers. Here it is in action.
Here is a tech support scammer encountering Shango066. His comments and their reactions are hilarious.
Here is a tech support scammer encountering Shango066. His comments and their reactions are hilarious.
If I don't recognize a number and it calls more than twice I just answer it as ____ County Sheriff's Department. They always hang up.
